NU Theorymon

Introduction

Sometimes in #neverused, we discuss moves or abilities that we wish certain Pokémon had. A lot of the time, a Pokémon looks like it should have a certain attack flavor-wise, but for some reason it's left out of their movepool. One day, Zebraiken made a thread where we could discuss cool theorymon we had. That thread had a bunch of great ideas for Pokémon that would make them much better. Sure, there are the obvious, like Flare Blitz Flareon, as well as the broken Pure Power Slaking. But in between those, a bunch of interesting, maybe broken ideas that would make some great Pokémon even better appeared.

Recover Misdreavus

It's no surprise that Misdreavus is one of the best Ghost-types in Neverused, and it is also the most reliable spinblocker by far. The biggest qualm that people have with Misdreavus is that she lacks any real recovery outside of Pain Split. She doesn't even get Leftovers because of the need for Eviolite! Recover would make Misdreavus an incredible force in Neverused and it would make all of her sets a lot better, and even make some new sets viable. The defensive set would become a much better counter to most physical attackers, as she can no longer be overwhelmed by Kangaskhan and other physical attackers as easily. With Recover, Misdreavus has a chance of outstalling Kangaskhan if there is no Stealth Rock on the field. The Nasty Plot set would also run Recover instead of Substitute or Taunt, as it would appreciate the ability to heal off damage from defensive Pokémon trying to wear it down. The biggest boon that Recover would bring to Misdreavus, however, is that a Calm Mind sweeper set would become amazing. Misdreavus struggles with special attackers, so a move that boosts her Special Defense is great as is, but Calm Mind Misdreavus is rare because it is just too easy to wear down over the course of the match. Recover would mean that only a few Pokémon, such as Shiftry and Skuntank, would be able to easily threaten her.

In terms of how it would change the metagame, Dark-types would become a lot more common. With Calm Mind, Dark-types such as Sneasel, Skuntank, and Shiftry would become some of the few ways to reliably defeat Misdreavus. Physical attacking Fire-types would also rise in usage, so you would expect to see more Rapidash!

Brokenness: 7/10

Magic Guard Mandibuzz

Mandibuzz is the new girl in Neverused; no one really knew what she would do and what would work until a while after she dropped. Now it seems that Mandibuzz is one of the toughest Pokémon to wear down in the tier, with amazing defenses and reliable recovery; the only thing missing is a better way to do damage! But then we had an idea: the most common way to defeat Mandibuzz is through residual damage and Toxic, so what if we removed those options? Well for one, Mandibuzz would be almost impossible to defeat without a boosted Rock- or Ice-type attack, such as Choice Band Regirock's Stone Edge or Choice Specs Regice's Ice Beam. With Magic Guard, Mandibuzz would find its way as a wall on stall teams and as a pivot on more offensive teams. A team without her would be a rarity due to the number of support options she has. Due to poor offensive stats, Toxic and Foul Play would be the main ways to deal damage, though recoil-less Brave Bird is definitely interesting.

In a metagame with Magic Guard Mandibuzz, teams would be forced to carry multiple ways to defeat her. The simplest way would be a powerful Ice- or Electric-type attack, such as Choice Specs Thunderbolt from Eelektross or Choice Specs Ice Beam from Regice. This method would be preferred to physical attacks due to Foul Play; a physical attacker could die a lot quicker, though Golem, Carracosta, and Regirock would prevail eventually.

Brokenness: 9/10

Hurricane Mantine

Keeping with the "M" Pokémon trend, Hurricane Mantine is something that I really wish was real. Mantine is best used as a sweeper on rain teams in Neverused. It is used because it can defeat Ludicolo, the most terrifying sweeper there is. Air Slash is a decent Flying-type attack, but wouldn't Hurricane be so much better? Hurricane would make Mantine compete with Ludicolo for best rain sweeper, and it could potentially be the best due to how overwhelmingly powerful it is under those conditions. It would only be used on offensive sets, because defensive sets don't enjoy the miss chance at all, and would prefer the consistency of Air Slash as a Flying-type attack. Water- and Flying-type attacks also have amazing coverage, only being resisted by the legendary Chinchou in Neverused. Mantine would lose a lot of its better checks that it has now, such as Samurott and other bulky Water-types.

Although Hurricane would certainly make Mantine better, it wouldn't completely revolutionize the metagame at all. Rain teams would become more prominent, as well as checks to them, such as Choice Scarf Gardevoir. Beyond that, many of the top Pokémon in the metagame now would likely retain their spot. Hurricane Mantine is a great improvement to a Pokémon without at all devastating the metagame.

Brokenness: 3/10

Shell Smash Torterra

Tortoises have shells. Torterra is a tortoise. So it should be able to learn Shell Smash! One of the issues with offensive Torterra right now is that it is either too weak or too slow, as it usually has to choose between Swords Dance and Rock Polish. Shell Smash would give Torterra the best of both worlds, as it would be amazingly strong and also quite fast after just a single turn of setup. Luckily, even at +2 Speed, there are many effective Choice Scarf users that can outspeed and OHKO Torterra, such as Primeape and Jynx. Shell Smash Torterra would lead to a rise in offense in Neverused, as there would be very few defensive Pokémon that could stand up to it. Stall staples like Misdreavus would be OHKOed after a boost, so that leaves Weezing and Tangela as the only viable answers. Offensive checks would be much easier to come by, as Ice Shard Piloswine as well as the Choice Scarf users are all capable of stopping Torterra. Shell Smash would make Torterra a huge threat in the metagame, and would destroy the last remnant of stall left.

Shell Smash is the boon Torterra needs to be a top threat like it was in DPP UU. It would be arguably the best sweeper in the tier due to its high powered STABs and decent bulk, even at -1. It would lead to a rise in the already amazing Choice Scarf Jynx and Primeape, as they are among the few ways to reliably defeat Torterra. Stall teams would die with only Weezing and Tangela to defeat it. A huge threat indeed.

Brokenness: 6/10

Sheer Force Floatzel

Everyone knows Sheer Force is a really cool ability; that's a given. A power boost and no Life Orb recoil on many of its best moves would really make Floatzel a threat if it got Sheer Force. The most notable boost that Sheer Force would give Floatzel is the boost to its main STAB attack, Waterfall. With Sheer Force and Life Orb taken into account, Floatzel would have a chance to OHKO Sawk outright! Crunch would also get a power boost, and it would be able to OHKO offensive Misdreavus outright, which is very impressive considering her bulk. Outside of Waterfall, there are a few other moves that Floatzel gets that are worth noting: Ice Punch and Ice Beam would get boosted and allow it to hurt Grass- and Dragon-types. Beyond that, there are not any notable moves that are boosted by Sheer Force.

Sheer Force Floatzel likely wouldn't shake the metagame up very much. It would likely increase in usage, but it would still have to compete with other Water-types like Samurott and Carracosta, who each have different advantages and disadvantages when compared to Floatzel. It would be a nice boon to offensive teams looking for a strong attacker and would definitely be a huge threat to be prepared for, but still nothing out of this world.

Brokenness: 3/10

Conclusion

There are endless possibilities with theorymonning. I just outlined a few of my personal favorite ideas. The NU Theorymon thread is usually pretty active and other people have great ideas all the time! So if you have any cool ideas you'd like to discuss, or if you want to discuss some of the ideas outlined here, come join us!